Life-raft



(No Model.)

. W. S..PALMER.

LIFE RAFT.

Patented Feb. 16,1897

'm: mam: Pzfsns cow mmoumou WASHINGTON. 6 c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VVINFIELD SCOTT PALMER, OF GLENBURN, PENNSYLVANIA.

-LlFE-RAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,061, dated February16, 1897.

Application filed November 15,1895. Serial No. 569,019. (No model.)

To all whont it may concerni- Be it known that I, WINFIELD Scorr PAL-MER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glenburn, in the countyof Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Life- Rafts; andldeclare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accom pan ying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The object of my invention is to provide a life-savin g raft,su-itableto be carried on board of ocean-going vessels, of simpler constructionand greater efficiency than those hereto fore in use, one of theprincipal features thereof being that it is adapted to be packed inlarge and sufficient numbers on board of vessels with economy of spaceand little weight in proportion to its capacity for life-saving ofshipwrecked persons.

The essential features of my device consist in the construction andcombination of the several parts herein described, and-illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of one of myrafts as it appears when packed on board of a vessel. Fig. 2 is aside oredge View of my raft. Fig. 3 shows a cork filling of one of the sectionsof my raft. Fig. 4 shows a method of cutting the boards which form theprincipal parts (or sides) of the sections constituting the body of myraft. Fig. 5 is a water-tight case or can adapted to be used in asection of my raft for the purpose of carrying and preserving provisionsor water. Fig. 6 shows the method of joining the boards which cross eachother at right angles in the construction of my raft. Fig. '7 shows myraft in use by shipwrecked persons.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts in the severalviews.

The fillings of the sections may be of any desired light substance whichwill not absorb water. They may be bags of cork shavings or volumes ofcork built up in layers a a, &c. as shown in Fig. 3, which volumes areheld together and in place by the framework of the raft. The frameworkof the raft is best constructed in oblong or square by the multiplication of small squares adapted to be exactly filledby the corkvolumes AA. The principal part of the framework is comprised in seriesof boards B, having the notches b b, &c., Fig. 4, running parallel witha similar series of boards crossing them at right angles, so that thenotches of the second series meet those of the first series in positionshown by Fig. 6, thus halving the two sets of boards. By nailing fourplain boards on the ends of the other two series completing theperimeter of the oblong a group of complete squares is formed, eachbeing adapted to receive a cork filling A or a can 0, Fig. 5. Thefillings or cans being placed in the squares adapted to receive them,they are held from slipping out upward or downward by means of strips D,running obliquely across the top and bottom of the raft, crossing eachof the squares obliquely and being nailed at intersections of theboards. These strips are wide enough so that the edges of them cover thecorners of all the adjacent squares at intersections, so as to morefully secure the contents from slipping out.

The bottom of the raft is an exact counterpart of the top, the obliquestrips, however, running in a direction at rightangles with those of thetop. To one of the oblique strips a mast of flagpole P, which may beconstructed in sections, is lashed by the straps k t. One end of thismast is adapted to fit into a socket s, as shown in Fig. 1. To the otherend may be attached a pennant for the purpose of giving signal ofdistress, as shown in Fig. 7. Two or more cans 0 should be included inevery raft. .One of them may be filled with fresh water for drinkingpurposes and others should be filled with suitable food and provisionsfor shipwrecked persons.

The cans 0 should have openings 0 c in top and bottom, as shown in Fig.5. These openings should be large enough to admit the hand and may beclosed by a piece of cork, secured bya top piece 0, which maybe easilyremoved with the hand when contents are required.

For the purpose of holding the raft secure and also to furnishgrasping-places for struggling persons in the water the ropesR, runningthrough the keepers and staplesr r, &c., secured to the side boards ofthe raft, are

drawn in each of the three directions around the raft near the edgethereof, as shown in the drawings. 7

The method of using my raft is readily understood. Numbers of them arestacked or stowed away on the decks of vessels and in case of need arethrown overboard. Of course one fiat side or the other will float upwardand both sides will be alike and equally equipped and always ready foruse. Persons having taken possession of the raft may remove the mast Pfrom its keepers and join the sections thereof and setit upin the sockets, so as to be a signal to any passing vessel. If they are compelled toremain any great length of time, they may remove the fastenings c of theprovision-cans and take necessary refreshments.

It will be found that a raft ten feet square and one foot thick,constructed as herein described, will float above water ten to fifteenpersons, while eighty or more may easily be preserved by grasping theropes and allowing their bodies to remain in water, so that by the useof my device an ocean-going vessel may easily carry enough rafts to savethe lives of all her crew and passengers without encumberin g thevessel. It will also be noticed that should one of my rafts be brokeninto pieces from any cause the chances are in favor of many of thepieces becoming good life-saving floats, as well as though they had notbeen broken apart.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

A life-raft comprising in combination aseries of interlocked partitionsB, the blocks A made up of a series of layers of cork and held in thespaces between the intersecting partitions B, the cans C, the stripsDdiagonally disposed over the tops of the said blocks and cans, and theropes R secured about the keepers r, all substantially as shown and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\Y. SCOTT PALMER.

\Vitnesses z FRED. O. IIAND, CHAS. W. Dawson.

